The number of Palestinian fatalities in the West Bank between 1 October and 2 November this year (48), constitutes 90 per cent of the total number of fatalities in the whole of 2014 in the West Bank (53) , while the number of Palestinian injuries in the West Bank during the same period (6,552 has already exceeded the number of injuries in the whole of 2014 (5,868).

During the week, another 1,032 Palestinians, including at least 139 children and 12 on-duty Palestinian Red Crescent Society medical staff, were injured in the oPt, the vast majority in protests and confrontations with Israeli forces. Of these, 111 injuries (ten per cent) were recorded in the Gaza Strip. In the West Bank, the highest number of injuries was recorded in the Jerusalem governorate (320 injuries), followed by Hebron governorate (209 injuries), Ramallah governorate (190 injuries), and Bethlehem governorate (105 injuries). At least 13 percent of the injuries in the West Bank and 28 percent of those in the Gaza Strip were caused by live ammunition, while most of the remainder were caused by rubber bullets or tear gas inhalation.

In East Jerusalem, three hospital employees were injured by Israeli forces who fired sound grenades, rubber bullets and tear gas canisters at medical staff, employees and other Palestinians holding a sit-in at the entrance inside Al Makassed hospital in East Jerusalem. The sit-in was in protest of the repeated forcible entry of Israeli forces into the hospital to obtain medical files and surveillance camera footage from the hospital. The conduct by the Israeli Security Forces during several entries into Makassed hospital this past week is unacceptable and must not be repeated.”

On 29 October, a 50-year-old Palestinian, who had suffered a heart attack, died while en route to hospital when his ambulance was delayed for around 40 minutes due to the obstacles recently placed by Israeli forces in East Jerusalem. As of 2 November, there were 34 obstacles, directly impacting nine neighbourhoods in East Jerusalem with an estimated population of 138,000, and over 110 ad-hoc “flying” checkpoints placed on main roads in the rest of the West Bank.

20-26 Oct 2015

The wave of violence across the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) continued during the reporting period (20-26 October) resulting in 15 Palestinian fatalities, and another 1,261 Palestinian and twenty Israeli injuries. In addition, one Israeli died from injuries sustained on 18 November 2014 during a Palestinian attack. Between 1 and 26 October, 58 Palestinians and seven Israelis were killed, and 6,445 Palestinians and over 80 Israelis were injured.

Investigations by several human rights organisationsregarding an Israeli airstrike on 11 October 2015 that killed a pregnant Palestinian and her daughter, and injured several others, found that the missiles had directly hit the victims’ home, not weapon production sites belonging to members of armed forces as stated in an Israeli official statement issued on 11 October.

At least seven Israeli settler attacks on Palestinians or their property were recorded during the week, resulting in injury to at least four Palestinians, including one child. Three of the attacks affected Palestinians harvesting olives, including a 20-year-old man who was shot multiple times and seriously injured in Sa’ir, near the Israeli settlement of Asfar (Hebron); the physical assault of a 14-year-old child in Ya’bad (Jenin) and a 74-year-old man in Deir Al Hatab (Nablus).The remaining incidents involved stone-throwing by Israeli settlers at Palestinian vehicles and houses, an arson attack on a vehicle and damaging land by spilling sewage in Nahhalin (Bethlehem).”

27 Oct - 2 Nov 2015

The wave of violence across the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) continued during the reporting period (27 October and 2 November) resulting in 12 Palestinian fatalities, and another 1,036 Palestinian and 11 Israeli injuries. In addition, one Israeli died from injuries he sustained on 13 October 2015 during a Palestinian attack in the West Bank. Between 1 October and 2 November, 71 Palestinians and eight Israelis were killed, and 7,490 Palestinians and over 126 Israelis were injured in the oPt and Israel. The number of Palestinian fatalities in the West Bank between 1 October and 2 November this year (48), constitutes 90 per cent of the total number of fatalities in the whole of 2014 in the West Bank (53) , while the number of Palestinian injuries in the West Bank during the same period (6,552 has already exceeded the number of injuries in the whole of 2014 (5,868).

During the reporting period, 11 Palestinians, including two children, were killed; four Palestinians as well as six Israelis, including one soldier, were injured in the course of 14 stabbing and alleged stabbing attacks by Palestinians, and one by an Israeli, in the West Bank and Israel. Additionally, three Israeli border policemen were injured after being struck by a vehicle driven by a Palestinian who later turned himself in to the Israeli authorities. The circumstances of several incidents are disputed. Eleven incidents occurred in the West Bank including seven in the Hebron governorate, two at the Jalameh checkpoint in Jeningovernorate, one in each of the governorates of Jerusalem and Nablus. Three incidents occurred in the Israeli cities of RishonLezion, Netanya and near Be’erSheva.

On 30 October in BeitFajjar village (Bethlehem), a Palestinian infant died as a direct result of tear gas inhalation, according to medical sources. As reported by the media, Israeli authorities confirmed that gas canisters were fired “several dozen metres” away from the family home, at “rioters who blocked the main route with rocks,” but believe that “there is no direct link between IDF activities in the area and the tragic death of the Palestinian baby.”

During the reporting period, the Israeli authorities handed over the bodies of three Palestinians killed between 1 October and 2 November. To date, 14 out of 36 Palestinians killed within this period have been returned with the reminder still withheld.

During the week, another 1,032 Palestinians, including at least 139 children and 12 on-duty Palestinian Red Crescent Society medical staff, were injured in the oPt, the vast majority in protests and confrontations with Israeli forces. Of these, 111 injuries (ten per cent) were recorded in the Gaza Strip. In the West Bank, the highest number of injuries was recorded in the Jerusalem governorate (320 injuries), followed by Hebron governorate (209 injuries), Ramallah governorate (190 injuries), and Bethlehem governorate (105 injuries). At least 13 percent of the injuries in the West Bank and 28 percent of those in the Gaza Strip were caused by live ammunition, while most of the remainder were caused by rubber bullets or tear gas inhalation.

In Gaza, on 30 October, an 11-year-old Palestinian child was injured as a result of unexploded ordnance which detonated northeast of Jabalia Refugee Camp.

In East Jerusalem, three hospital employees were injured by Israeli forces who fired sound grenades, rubber bullets and tear gas canisters at medical staff, employees and other Palestinians holding a sit-in at the entrance inside Al Makassed hospital in East Jerusalem. The sit-in was in protest of the repeated forcible entry of Israeli forces into the hospital to obtain medical files and surveillance camera footage from the hospital. On 2 November, United Nations agencies called for respect of health premises and the right to health care. The Humanitarian Coordinator for the occupied Palestinian territory, Robert Piper emphasized that “Actions that undermine the ability of health workers to provide care to those in need are violations of international law. The conduct by the Israeli Security Forces during several entries into Makassed hospital this past week is unacceptable and must not be repeated.”

On 2 November, the Israeli authorities passed a temporary law setting the minimum penalty for “dangerous” stone throwing at three years in prison. The law also stipulates that anyone convicted of stone-throwing will be deprived of National Insurance Institute benefits while serving his/her sentence, and that the parents of a child convicted of a security crime or stone-throwing will also be deprived of National Insurance Institute benefits for the duration of their child’s sentence.

On 29 October, members of Palestinian armed groups opened fire at an Israeli repair team carrying out maintenance work on the fence surrounding the Gaza Strip, east of Al Bureij Refugee Camp, and on 30 October, opened fire at southern Israel, causing damage to a shop. No injuries were reported in both incidents.

On 29 October, a 50-year-old Palestinian, who had suffered a heart attack, died while en route to hospital when his ambulance was delayed for around 40 minutes due to the obstacles recently placed by Israeli forces in East Jerusalem. As of 2 November, there were 34 obstacles, directly impacting nine neighbourhoods in East Jerusalem with an estimated population of 138,000, and over 110 ad-hoc “flying” checkpoints placed on main roads in the rest of the West Bank. During the week Israeli forces installed a new gate at the main entrance of Ni’lin (Ramallah), and closed the gate at the entrance to ‘EinYabrud, one of the main access routes between Ramallah villages and Road 60. Search and checking procedures at the checkpoints, particularly in East Jerusalem, have resulted in long queues, which disrupted the access of people to services, including educational and health facilities, places of work and holy sites.

Israeli forces carried out over 90 search and arrest operations across the West Bank and arrested 218 Palestinians, with the highest number of arrests recorded in Jerusalem (38 per cent). Additionally, two Palestinians were arrested by Israeli forces during an unauthorised attempt to cross from Gaza into Israel.

Two structures were demolished in East Jerusalem for lack of Israeli-issued building permits, including a three-floor extension in BeitHanina and a house in As Sawahira al Gharbiya. As a result, four households comprising 15 Palestinians, including six children were displaced, bringing to 66 the number of structures demolished and to 84 the number of Palestinians displaced, in East Jerusalem, since the beginning of the year. Also in East Jerusalem, a refugee family of six, including four children, have been displaced since 29 October after Israeli settlers prevented them from gaining access to their house in Batan al Hawa area of Silwan. While the mother and children were eventually allowed by the settlers to enter their house, they refused to do so in fear of settler harassment and as the father was prevented from entering the house. The family’s lawyer is following up on the case in the Israeli courts.

On 2 November, 13 Palestinian families of 86 people, including 46 children, were temporarily displaced from their homes to make way for Israeli military training in Humsa al Buqai’a (Tubas), located on agricultural land in an area designated by the Israeli authorities as a closed zone for military training (“firing zone”). The Israeli authorities issued a stop-work order against the donor-funded rehabilitation of a road in SaadatTha’lah, near the Israeli settlement of Carmel, south of Hebron governorate.

At least three Israeli settler attacks, involving stone throwing at Palestinian-plated vehicles and, in one case, vandalism to five Palestinian owned trees was recorded. Additionally, a 52-year-old woman was injured and transported to an Israeli hospital, after being run-over by an Israeli settler near Um Safa village. A dozen other incidents were reported, involving attacks on property, trespassing, acts of intimidation against Palestinians as they harvested olives, most notably in the Hebron and Nablusgovernorates.

Five Palestinian attacks on Israeli settlers and their property were reported (apart from the above stabbing incidents). In one incident, a Palestinian physically assaulted an Israeli tour-guide in the Old City of Jerusalem. The remaining incidents involved stone throwing at Israeli-plated vehicles in Hebron and resulted in two Israeli injuries.

The Egyptian-controlled Rafah Crossing was closed in both directions during the reporting period. The Crossing has been closed, including for humanitarian assistance, since 24 October 2014, except for 37 days of partial openings.

20-26 Oct 2015

The wave of violence across the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) continued during the reporting period (20-26 October) resulting in 15 Palestinian fatalities, and another 1,261 Palestinian and twenty Israeli injuries. In addition, one Israeli died from injuries sustained on 18 November 2014 during a Palestinian attack. Between 1 and 26 October, 58 Palestinians and seven Israelis were killed, and 6,445 Palestinians and over 80 Israelis were injured.

On 22 October, in connection to the Palestinian attacks and alleged attacks, the UN Deputy Secretary General stated before the Security Council that "a number of incidents, many caught on video and widely disseminated, call into question the degree of response, including the apparent disproportionate use of lethal force as a first resort"

Four Palestinians were killed or died of injuries caused by Israeli forces during protests and clashes in the West Bank and along the perimeter fence around Gaza. In the Hebron governorate, a 17-year-old child was shot with live ammunition and killed at the BeitEinun junction during clashes following the killing of a Palestinian earlier the same day in a stabbing incident, and a 54-year-old man with heart problems died from teargas inhalation fired during clashes in the H2 area of Hebron city. In the Gaza Strip, two Palestinian men died of injuries sustained in the previous two weeks during clashes that erupted in the context of protests. In addition to these fatalities, a Palestinian man was shot dead in Gaza, reportedly while using binoculars to watch the areas near the fence surrounding Gaza and hiding between bushes around 300 metres from the fence.

A total of 1,253 Palestinians, including at least 256 children, were injured in the oPt, the vast majority in protests and confrontations with Israeli forces. Of these, 157 injuries (13 per cent), including nine on-duty Palestinian Red Crescent Society medical staff, were recorded in the Gaza Strip. In the West Bank, the highest number of injuries was recorded in the QalqiliyaGovernorate (291), mainly around the checkpoint at the only entrance to the city. These were followed by Ramallah (188 injuries), mainly at the Beit El/DCO checkpoint, the Hebron Governorate (187 injuries), and the Jerusalem governorate (167 injuries), mostly in Al Eizariya and Abu Dis. At least five percent of the injuries in the West Bank and 19 percent of those in the Gaza Strip were caused by live ammunition, while most of the remainder were caused by rubber bullets and tear gas inhalation.

Investigations by several human rights organisationsregarding an Israeli airstrike on 11 October 2015 that killed a pregnant Palestinian and her daughter, and injured several others, found that the missiles had directly hit the victims’ home, not weapon production sites belonging to members of armed forces as stated in an Israeli official statement issued on 11 October.

During the week, the Israeli authorities removed two obstacles and added two others on main streets leading to Palestinian areas in occupied East Jerusalem. As of 26 October, there were 38 obstacles, including 16 checkpoints, directly impacting nine neighbourhoods with an estimated population of 138,000. This is in addition to five metal gates installed in the Old City of Jerusalem, heavy police presence, and widespread body searches carried out by Israeli forces on Palestinian pedestrians throughout the city. Additionally, on six separate days, Israeli forces prevented a number of Palestinian women and men from entering the Haram al Sharif/Temple Mount, and facilitated the entry of Israeli settlers and other groups into the mosque compound on five days. In the remaining West Bank, Israel forces closed/blocked the entrance to six villages, some intermittently, and placed over 100 ad hoc (‘flying’) checkpoints on main roads. Search and checking procedures at the previous and newly-deployed checkpoints across the West Bank, particularly in East Jerusalem, have resulted in long queues, which disrupted the access of people to services, including educational and health facilities, places of work and holy sites.

On 20 October, in the Hebron governorate, Israeli forces demolished the internal walls and then sealed the main entrance to the family home of a man who had perpetrated an attack against Israeli settlers in November 2014. A punitive demolition order was also issued against the family home of the fourth and last suspect in the attack during which a settler couple were killed on 1 October, which is located in Nablus city. On 8 October, the High Commissioner for Human Rights reiterated that “collective punishments such as house demolitions are both illegal and counterproductive”.

Two structures were demolished in East Jerusalem for lack of Israeli-issued building permits, including a house located in BeitHanina and an animal barracks erected on privately-owned land in Jabal al Mukkabir, sheltering about eighty sheep. A registered refugee family of seven, including five children, was displaced, and ten others were affected. Also, Israeli authorities issued demolition orders against at least six Palestinian-owned structures in Area C, and confiscated two privately-owned water tankers belonging to residents of Lifjim community (Nablus) for being located in a closed military training zone.

At least seven Israeli settler attacks on Palestinians or their property were recorded during the week, resulting in injury to at least four Palestinians, including one child (apart from the abovementionedstabbings and ramming incidents). three of the attacks affected Palestinians harvesting olives, including a 20-year-old man who was shot multiple times and seriously injured in Sa’ir, near the Israeli settlement of Asfar (Hebron); the physical assault of a 14-year-old child in Ya’bad (Jenin) and a 74-year-old man in Deir Al Hatab (Nablus).The remaining incidents involved stone-throwing by Israeli settlers at Palestinian vehicles and houses, an arson attack on a vehicle and damaging land by spilling sewage in Nahhalin (Bethlehem).

Two Palestinian attacks on Israeli settlers were reported (apart from the abovementionedstabbings and ramming incidents), resulting in four Israeli injuries. Attacks involved throwing stones and Molotov cocktails at two passing vehicles near Al Arrub Refugee Camp (Hebron) and in Al Bireh (Ramallah), near the Israeli settlement of Beit El. Also this week, an Israeli settler was killed near Al Fawwar Refugee Camp after being struck by a vehicle driven by a Palestinian who subsequently turned himself in to the Palestinian police.

The Egyptian-controlled Rafah Crossing was closed in both directions during the reporting period. The Crossing has been continuously closed, including for humanitarian assistance, since 24 October 2014, except for 37 days of partial openings.